Houston star Ed Oliver says he's going pro after the 2018 season

Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver (10) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against South Florida Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

The 2018 season will Ed Oliver’s last season at Houston.

In a public proclamation rare this time of year, the All-American defensive tackle told reporters after the Cougars’ first spring practice that he will enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

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“This was a dream of mine coming in,” Oliver said. “I knew I was going on a business trip, and whether my business trip was three years or four years it just depended on how early I got on the field and how effective I was.”

“Effective” would be an understatement to describe Oliver’s play for the Cougars. The Houston native burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2016 and put up ridiculous numbers, including 23 tackles for loss to go with 66 total tackles, five sacks and nine pass breakups.

Even while dealing with a knee injury, Oliver was even better in 2017 as a sophomore. He won the Outland Trophy, which is given to the best interior lineman in college football. Oliver was also the American Athletic Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 73 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He capped off the season with 14 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in a win over Navy.